Chapter 247 A Step Slow
The Xie family's carriage wobbled as it hurried towards West City. The clatter of horse hooves was particularly clear in the long, silent night.
"Did you go to the palace to see your father?" Su Cheng sat on the edge of the couch, leaning against a small window. The wind lifted the curtain and gently blew the loose hair on her temples.
"After hearing about this, my grandfather and I rushed to the palace and met Lord Zhao. He took out the military token, and I realized that the one lost from the mansion was a fake." Xie Suzhou sat beside her and said lightly, "Lord Zhao was afraid that you were overly worried, so he sent me to find you."
"I have long suspected that the military token that could be stolen so easily must not be real." Su Cheng leaned against the window and whispered everything that had happened in the past two days.
"It was Liu Shoucheng who stole the military token?" Xie Suzhou was stunned for a moment, a hint of surprise in his eyes, "Why did he come to the capital?"
Su Cheng raised her hand to smooth the hair at her temples. "I sent someone to follow them a long time ago. The couple was full of lies. They clearly had a small house in the capital, but they deceived my parents and said they came to the capital to look for relatives. It's easy to guess what they were thinking."
Xie Suzhou opened his thin lips and sighed, "If you are sure that Liu Shoucheng and Liu Cuilan were responsible, I will send people to capture them immediately."
"No need." Su Cheng closed his eyes, his expression calm, "A dying person doesn't need you to worry about him."
Hearing this, Xie Suzhou guessed it immediately, "You sent Qing Shuang over?"
Su Cheng nodded, slightly opened his eyelids, and whispered, "The child named Rou'er is still in her infancy. She won't be affected by the disaster. This can be regarded as a memory for uncle and aunt."
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Poor alleys in the south of the city
"Rou'er's father, why are you so anxious to pack up?"
Liu Cuilan held up her trouser pocket, which contained a thick stack of banknotes. She was so happy that her teeth were not visible. "If I were given so much money suddenly, I wouldn't even spend it."
"You're a jerk with long hair and short knowledge!" Liu Shoucheng turned around and shouted, his face livid. "Hurry up and pack your things and run away with me!"
"Run away?" Liu Cuilan was stunned and immediately turned to leave, but before she could move a step forward, she turned back and said, "No, that's not right. Why should we run away?"
"You're really not smart when I say you're stupid." Liu Shoucheng was furious, but he had to explain for her. "You're only concerned with the banknotes in front of you, not realizing you might even lose your life! How can the Qinwang Mansion and the Zhao family be the same? We've provoked both sides now. If we don't run, are we just waiting for them to kill us?"
"We work for the Princess Qin, who can touch us?" Liu Cuilan still didn't understand. She clutched the banknotes in her trouser pocket tightly, looking bewildered. "If they take the money, won't our business be over?"
"The Zhao family will find out the military token is missing sooner or later, and they'll be able to trace it back to us if they think about it. The military token was given to Princess Qin, and she gave us endless silver. This is a business deal. If something goes wrong in the future, will the princess still be able to control us?" Liu Shoucheng picked up his daughter who had fallen asleep beside him and whispered, "Let's run away now while the moon is dark and the wind is strong. Only by saving our lives can we spend this money!"
"Besides, we don't know if the princess will betray us, so it's better to run away first."
Hearing this, Liu Cuilan broke out in a cold sweat and nodded hurriedly in response, "You still have an idea. Let's go quickly. We don't have to pack anything. With money, we can settle down anywhere!"
"That's right." Liu Shoucheng threw the clothes he had just packed aside. "It's inconvenient to carry these. Let's go. We can buy more later."
The next moment, a voice slowly sounded from the beam.
"You are indeed smart people. It's a pity. If you were less talkative and more nimble, you might have been able to escape."
The sound echoed in the empty room, and Liu Shoucheng was shocked and completely frozen in place.
Liu Cuilan covered her mouth with her hand, but the scream still leaked out from between her fingers, "Who... who is talking..."
The sound of footsteps could be heard on the beams, and each one seemed to step on the hearts of the two.
Liu Shoucheng tugged at his wife's sleeve, put his hand to his mouth, signaling her to be quiet, and grabbed her and tried to shrink into the corner, praying that he would not be discovered.
Most of the houses in the poor alley are short, and the moonlight cannot shine in. The two of them are hiding in the dark. If you don't look carefully, you may not be able to tell where they are hiding.
Liu Cuilan was shaking like a sieve, trying hard to control herself from shouting, but the footsteps were getting closer and closer, as if they were right above her head.
The next moment, a figure fell from the sky, a cold light flashed, and a sharp blade cut her throat.
Warm blood splashed on Liu Shoucheng's face. Seeing the person who had been with him for half his life fall down, Liu Shoucheng finally couldn't help but yelled, "Cui Lan——"
Unfortunately, he only had the chance to say two words.
When the dagger came, Liu Shoucheng acted decisively and used the baby girl in his arms to block it. The tip of the knife pierced into the little body and then was quickly pulled out. In an instant, blood gushed out.
He was so cruel that even the man holding the knife was stunned.
Liu Shoucheng saw the opportunity and threw the baby girl, who died without a whimper, at the man, then rushed to the door. As his fingertips touched the old wooden door, someone grabbed his hair and pulled him back.
The sharp blade pierced his back, and Liu Shoucheng only felt a black screen in front of his eyes, watching the figure getting farther and farther away from him.
"Help……"
Liu Shoucheng stretched out his hand towards the wooden door with great effort, raised his hand high, and finally let it fall down weakly.
Most of the people living in the poor alleys are ordinary people who cannot afford to buy houses in the east and west cities. They are crowded in three or four small alleys. In the dead of night, even if someone hears a few shouts, they will think that someone is arguing in someone's family and no one will come out to investigate.
With so many people crowded together, no one wants to cause trouble and everyone tries to avoid it if possible.
After an unknown amount of time, the old wooden door was pushed open again.
A scene of blood came into view. Qingshuang was stunned for a long time before he stepped into the small, dark room.
The room was damp and the smell of blood was pungent.
Qingshuang took out a lighter from his bosom and blew it gently to light it.
The firelight shone on Liu Shoucheng and Liu Cuilan. Both of them had terrified expressions on their faces, with their eyeballs bulging outwards, as if they had experienced a great shock before death and could not close their eyes.
Qing Shuang walked forward and saw the blood-stained swaddling clothes out of the corner of his eye.
"Dead?"
Su Cheng nearly knocked over the teacup in his hand. He finally managed to calm down and looked at Qing Shuang in front of him, "Did you look carefully?"
"I was afraid they wouldn't die cleanly, so I stabbed the two older ones and checked the child's breath. They were indeed dead." Qing Shuang nodded slightly, still confused. "I was a step slower than that man. By the time I reached the poor alley in the south of the city, all three of them were dead."
"Strange... who else would do this besides us?" Su Cheng pondered secretly, and suddenly thought of something, "Did you find any banknotes or property deeds on them?"
Qing Shuang shook his head truthfully, "No."
A dark light flashed in Su Cheng's eyes, and he murmured, "Could it be... Sheng Qiulan?"
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